<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Something Like Friendship by neuronary</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25148416">Something Like Friendship</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/neuronary/pseuds/neuronary'>neuronary</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Azula Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Azula Week 2020, Gen, Girls Just Wanna Have Low-Stakes Fights On Top Of Gondolas Over Lakes Of Boiling Water, Girls Just Wanna Paint Each Other's Nail In A High Security Prison, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Suki Should Hate Zuko More Than She Does And I'm Mad, War Is Complicated When You're A Teenage Girl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:08:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25148416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/neuronary/pseuds/neuronary</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“My father thinks you have information.”</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Suki’s grip relaxed on her shank. “You have terrible social skills.”</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>“I have wonderful social skills,” the princess countered. “This just isn’t a social call.”</i></p><p> </p><p>---</p><p>Or, Suki gets to know Azula and her friends while she's stuck in Boiling Rock for like three months.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azula &amp; Mai &amp; Ty Lee, Azula &amp; Suki (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Azula Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>326</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something Like Friendship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I could go on an eight page rant about how of everyone in the Gaang the only person Zuko actually tangibly hurt was Suki and yet she forgives almost immediately despite no onscreen development of their relationship but I'm not gonna.</p><p>But Azula is her favourite fire sibling and no I will not equivocate on that.</p><p>Anyway, it's Azula Week Day Three and the prompt was 'Friendship'.</p><p>Hope you enjoy,</p><p>~Neu</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“He burned down my village,” is all Suki has to say about Prince Zuko.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Sorry about that,” is all he has to say in return. It’s clear he’s forgotten all about it, or perhaps her village was just one of many, a drop in the ocean of blood on the Prince’s hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She remembers the body they had to drag out from under a blackened crossbeam and nearly punches him in the face. Sokka trusts him and they’re in a Fire Nation prison so that, for now, is good enough for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Princess supervised her transfer to Boiling Rock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Orders from the Fire Lord,” she said, standing outside the cell Suki shared with her second-in-command. “Say your goodbyes. Are there any traditions you need to honour before we go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki blinked. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sozin’s First Military Decree, paragraph seven, prisoners of war,” the Princess reeled off. “All cultural traditions and beliefs are to be honoured unless the traditions and practices in question pose a threat to the safety and wellbeing of the prisoners or any Fire Nation subjects, or the traditions and practices in question are not feasible in the local environment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki blinked again. “Um. I don’t think so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Princess nodded, cool and professional. “You have the right to privacy with your comrades before the transfer. I’ll be waiting outside for four degrees.” Suki’s confusion must have shown. “A… quarter of one of your ‘hours’, I believe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something like respect led her to nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Prince Zuko - who at least had the good graces to get a better haircut before joining the good guys - gets himself thrown in some kind of special firebender cell so that they can escape. Sokka comes up with the plan. It seems to be their best shot. He doesn’t suggest anything, just follows Sokka’s lead. Suki can’t quite puzzle out the dynamic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(She supposes it doesn’t really matter.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She allows herself to be marginally impressed by his tenacity. Only marginally, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki looked up as the door to her cell opened, sharpened spoon tucked between her hand and her leg. The princess walked in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My father thinks you have information.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki’s grip relaxed on her shank. “You have terrible social skills.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have wonderful social skills,” the princess countered. “This just isn’t a social call.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki huffed and looked away, not particularly willing to engage in half-friendly conversation with the enemy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Princess sat on the other end of the bed, posture immaculate. Suki glared at her and tried to ignore the rising panic in her chest. She’d never been tortured for information before, but she couldn’t imagine it to be pleasant. The minutes stretched on in silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, are you even going to try to get this information out of me?” Suki finally demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” said the Princess. Suki blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Princess looked at her like she’d expected something better. “Because you don’t have it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki felt mildly affronted. “How do you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Princess blinked at her for a moment, then </span>
  <span>rolled her eyes</span>
  <span> and answered. “Well, for a start you lead a remarkably small force, this in itself isn’t indicative of much, it could be a specialised taskforce, but the earth kingdom’s armies are scattered and disorganised. Secondly, you know the avatar personally, and he doesn’t make a habit of associating himself with formal military forces. Thirdly, and this comes from a place of sympathy, you’re a fifteen year old girl. You don’t have the information.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki absolutely did not pout, because she was an esteemed military leader, probably. “I might know where the Avatar is,” she said, instead. Not because she did, but because it was a little bit annoying to be dismissed so thoroughly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Avatar is dead,” said the princess and Suki froze. The princess looked, if anything, awkward about the grief and Suki kind of wanted to punch her but she was too busy having a minor heart attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were so absolutely screwed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I tell you that there’s a slim chance he might not be, will you start breathing again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki glared at her, but took a slight breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not a bender, are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She kept glaring. The princess examined her nails.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you hold it for eight heartbeats before breathing out, it will help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t really know what to do with that advice except follow it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko stays with Sokka so that they have a chance - however slim - at getting his Dad back. Suki's never had a dad to miss or let down, just a mother that died before she could remember and a team of warriors that raised her to be better than any of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka smiles at him like he smiles at her and she really, really isn’t sure how to feel about that except mad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko does have a dad, but she doesn’t think their relationship is amazing, based on the fact that they’re on opposite sides of a war.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, and Azula.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second time the Princess came, Suki was dragged into an ‘interrogation room’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was, like, ninety percent sure interrogation rooms didn’t have desks and sofas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mai and Ty Lee wanted to see you again,” she said, managing to scowl with her shoulders and look exasperated with her face at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creepy stretchy girl that took her down bounced over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It meant, at the very least, that the guard holding her still let go and stepped back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Personal space,” the Princess said, after a few moments, “and you can leave now.” That was directed at the guards, who bowed deeply and left, shutting the door behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tall girl still leaning against the wall stayed silent, but the Princess - who had positioned her chair very carefully to keep everyone within her line of vision - rolled her eyes at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” she said, “Ty Lee wanted to see you again. Mai has never wanted a thing in her entire life. She is medically incapable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A blade sank into the chair an inch off from the Princess’ head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silent girl - Mai, and the peppy one wass Ty Lee, but Suki was far from ready for them to have names yet - didn’t smirk, but she managed to make her folded arms look smug. Suki just stared, realising slowly that this was what the Princess was like when she wasn’t being an imperialist war commander.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Huh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why… am I here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three girls seemed to suddenly remember that they had company. The smugness left Mai’s shoulders and she returned to a bored sort of apathy. Azula’s jaw tightened again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a girls’ night,” said Ty Lee, as if they weren’t operating on opposing sides of an international conflict. Mai’s expression didn’t change, but Azula gave them a bemused look that suggested this was fairly normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki glared at her. “You threw me in jail.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” said Ty Lee, still smiling, “but you’re not dead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki sighed heavily. “Fine. This is a terrible apology, by the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not trying to apologise,” Mai droned. “If we were, I’d break you out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki scowled, because if no one else was going to use their face, she might as well. “Good to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula hunched slightly and got out some paper and a brush. Ty Lee made an offended noise from the back of her throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <span>busy</span>
  <span>,” Azula insisted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re not, you’re annoyed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki raised her eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, the Fire Lord wasn’t exactly impressed with stationary investments, and there’s an up and coming arms dealer based in the colonies that I can meet with next-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Azula</span>
  <span>,” Ty Lee frowned at her. “Your Dad’s just assassinating the Agricultural Minister, he’s not upset about stationery.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula frowned. “If I sit weird will you let me do my budgeting in peace?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Mai cut in. “Ty, leave it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee huffed, but turned back to Suki. “Will you teach me how to do your fighting style?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki was quite proud of herself for not punching anyone. “No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t dignifying anyone with a reason. Kyoshi’s practices were sacred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee looked a little upset, but didn’t press it. “Can I do your nails?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That, Suki could live with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hakoda’s on the gondola. Sokka is super excited. Chit Sang doesn’t betray them, so that’s nice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s still annoying her. She doesn’t have much reason, other than her deep seated hatred for people who set schools on fire, so she sets it aside as best she can and focuses on not getting killed at lunch. Zuko tries to sit with her and Kuzon-who-eats-people growls at him until he leaves. Suki really likes Kuzon-who-eats-people. He’s arguably her favourite of the Kuzons, but Kuzon-who-writes-terrible-political-poetry snuck her mochi last Tuesday so she’s not entirely sure. She’s definitely not holding the cannibalism against him anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He eats people?” Ty Lee did her best to keep the subject on anything but Fire Nation politics. Suki found it nice, because it meant she understood things, but it didn’t keep Azula from curling up in the corner with her arms crossed over her knees and glaring at nothing. Suki was pretty sure this meant they were not-enemies now, but she didn’t know how to feel about that, so she wasn’t thinking about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she said. “He seems quite nice besides that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never met anyone who eats people before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As far as you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee shuddered a bit. Azula curled fists started smoking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” said Suki, “this obviously isn’t working. If I knew what was going on I might be able to help a bit more.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula growled something mostly incomprehensible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee sighed. “So what about the guy who can burb fire in the shape of kanji?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s disgusting,” said Azula, apparently roused from her terrible mood. “I want to try it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything is going to plan, until it’s not, because Zuko isn’t where he needs to be. Suki is ready to shrug it off and leave without him, but Sokka has this weird look on his face, so she bites her tongue and waits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turns up eventually.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So does his sister.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If Daichi calls me a ‘little girl’ one more time,” Azula ranted. Suki didn’t know who Daichi was, but she hummed sympathetically as Ty Lee went over her thumb nails again. She had no idea where the other girl had gotten green nail paints, but she appreciated it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your warriors are doing pretty okay, by the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki shot Mai a small, grateful smile. She missed them like crazy, and even Azula seemed to be somewhat remorseful about the fact that she had been separated from them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s protocol,” she’d said, frowning ever so slightly, “but I’d burn the whole Earth Kingdom to the ground if… never mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you want to take all of…” Suki makes a flapping gesture with her finished hand “this out on someone, one of the guards tried to get a bit handsy yesterday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula froze. Suki had done her best to keep her tone light and uncaring, not entirely sure her plan would work, but now all three of them were staring at her intently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. Ty Lee was staring at her, horrified and resigned and furious all at the same time, but Mai and Azula were watching Ty Lee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence reigned for an uncomfortable stretch and Suki was half way through opening her mouth to take it all back when Ty Lee spoke, sounding entirely too bright and peppy even for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I borrow some of your knives, please, Mai?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suki ended up spending the night not thinking too hard about how she might have been responsible for a guard’s death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi again,” says Suki when Ty Lee drops onto the gondola roof. “Rematch?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ty Lee grins and they get to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hasn’t seen them for at least a month, and she had been wondering what had happened to them, but she has more important things to worry about in the moment, so she puts the question aside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the two jet back to the prison tower she gives a half-hearted wave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watches Mai betray them and she doesn’t understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something like friendship dies in her heart.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! You can come find me on <a href="https://neuronary.tumblr.com">tumblr</a> if you want to yell at me about avatar or my fics.</p><p>I'm also a beta reader and I'm currently taking on new fics. If you want me to beta your writing you can hit me up on <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/u/12983219/">ff.net</a>, DM me on tumblr, or message me on Discord (neuronary #7964).</p><p>And, to top everything off, I have an avatar discord server <a href="https://discord.gg/KghYfcN">memebenders</a>, where we debate important topics such as 'did wan shi tong and koh have a messy break up?' and 'did sokka eat the rose in the southern raiders or did he just drop it?'</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>